Ishknits by Jessie Hemmons

Page Content

Terminal FJune 3, 2014 - February 8, 2017

Philadelphia artist Jessie
Hemmons has crocheted since she was a teenager. Like most knitters, she made
functional, wearable accessories such as hats and scarves. Until 2008, when she
saw photos of artists who knitted around outdoor objects – from trees, street
signs, and telephone poles to parking meters, public sculpture, and buses. If
it’s in the public realm, anything can and has been knitted on.

Affectionately known as “yarn
bombing,” this art form is similar to graffiti as many of the artists often
work covertly at night and without permission. Yet, it is not harmful to the
object and it is temporary. And unlike graffiti, this art form typically makes
people smile because it is unexpected, recognizably harmless, and there is
something about the nurturing nature of knitting and handcrafted objects that
makes yarn bombing publicly acceptable. Noted Hemmons: “It’s like graffiti with
grandma sweaters.”

In addition to knitting around
bike racks, public telephones, and tree trunks, Hemmons is also drawn to
“structures that are deteriorating or in a state of disrepair.” In these
situations, Hemmons strives to beautify what is now in decay. She wants “to
cover these crumbling structures in knitting, to reflect my hope for the
neighborhood and those within it.” It is an artful gesture of comfort and
humanity.

Although Hemmons still stitches
her cozies for the street, her work has also been commissioned and she has been
invited to knit for many prominent institutions and organizations including the
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Water Department, and Philadelphia’s
Mural Arts Program.